Down the Rabbit Hole

Raspberries wait for no one.

Catching everyone by surprise, the wild raspberries are early bloomers this year, springing forth in clusters of ruby red jewels, dripping from vines heavy with their bounty. There’s not a moment to lose when it’s first come, first serve, and the birds tend to have a more flexible schedule for picking. Ready or not, here I come, but this year has already been somewhat of a disappointment. With my dad overseas on work, it’s not nearly such a joyous event to trudge out into the thorns and mosquitoes in search of a few small berries. Needless to say, yields have suffered tremendously as well, and there’s no chance that I’ll even come close to our record.

But, as they say, the show must go on, and it would be a shame to let all of that edible plunder out there go to waste. Doing my best to reach the farthest branches the treasure deeply buried within the wilderness of suburban Connecticut, I donned long sleeves and pants, braving the oppressive heat, and gave it my all. Before long, a neat little pile of still-warm raspberries sat heaped in my basket. Mother nature waits for no one, so it was a relief to have made it to my favorite picking spot seemingly just in time. All was right with the world again.

Lulled into a false sense of safety, despite being temporarily jolted into high alert after shaking a tennis ball-sized beetle off my hand, I was feeling pretty good about this first solo venture. Moving a bit further into the woods, I was now venturing into unknown territory… And that’s when the ground went out beneath me.

Suddenly I was falling, down, down, down, shockingly far into the earth.

When I finally got my footing again, my painstakingly gathered berries were scattered and smashed all over the moldy forest floor, and I was literally knee-deep in some mysterious hole! Completely covered with vines, like some fiendish trap, I hadn’t seen any hint or warning of what I was stepping into, despite having checked my footing beforehand. Unhurt but as crushed as those wasted berries, the fruits of my labor sent to rot, I quickly pulled myself up and high-tailed it out of there. There’s no telling what sort of creature (or monster, perhaps) created a trench of such a size, but let’s just say it was a rabbit, for comfort’s sake. Yes, a cute, fuzzy rabbit that certainly would not have eaten me. I feel much better about that.

Returning on a separate occasion to gather a conservative punnet of raspberries, carefully staying far away from the booby-trap hidden within the woods, I still couldn’t stop thinking about that bizarre rabbit hole. Even after finally securing my berries and returning home, the image of perhaps a giant rabbit the size of an SUV danced through my mind… Or maybe they had mistaken me for Alice, perhaps. So I did the only logical thing I could think of, as an offering of sorts to this mystical and mysterious rabbit: Make carrot cake.

That would be raspberry carrot cake, of course!

Dotted with tiny, crunchy clusters of wild berries, it’s more or less a standard carrot cake, but I felt compelled to share the recipe. After bringing a batch to both friends and family, at different events, I’ve been blown away by the rave reviews they received. My perpetually skeptical aunt was amazed that they were vegan, and even my grandma, a seasoned baker, seemed curious about the recipe.

What really makes them special, however, is the frosting.

Though I was planning to go the traditional cream cheese route, there was none at the grocery store to be found. Reaching instead for the sour cream, it was a happy accident that lead to perhaps the best frosting I’ve ever made, and a new personal favorite.

Light and fluffy, less heavy than a standard buttercream and yet more substantial than airy whipped cream, it’s the Goldilocks of frostings; Just right. Flecked with real vanilla bean, it’s delicately flavored and a treat for the eyes as well. Even if you don’t care for carrot cake, or have fears of a demonic bunny looming in your mind that must be assuaged, I insist that you still try the frosting. You don’t even have to go foraging in the woods for it.

Yield: Makes 12 Servings

Raspberry Carrot Cake with Sour Cream Frosting

These carrot cake cupcakes studded with fresh raspberries is a refreshing change of pace. Topped with light, fluffy, and subtly tangy vegan sour cream frosting, they're an easy way to eat your fruits and veggies.

Ingredients

Raspberry Carrot Cake:

1 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1/3 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
2 Cups Shredded Carrot
1 Cup Fresh Raspberries
1/2 Cup Olive Oil
3/4 Cup Plain Non-Dairy Milk
1 Teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 Cup Dark Brown Sugar, Firmly Packed

Sour Cream Frosting:

1/2 Cup Vegan Butter, at Room Temperature.
1/2 Cup Vegan Sour Cream
1/2 Vanilla Bean, Seeds Scraped
3 – 4 Cups Confectioner’s Sugar

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line 12 standard muffin tins with cupcake papers.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and soda, spices, and salt so that all of the dry goods are evenly distributed. Add in the shredded carrot and raspberries, and toss to coat in flour. Set aside.
Separately, whisk together the oil, non-dairy milk of choice, vinegar, and brown sugar. Once the sugar is more or less dissolved, pour the whole mixture into your bowl of dry ingredients. Stir gently with a wide spatula so as not to smash the berries, just until the batter comes together. A few lumps are just fine, as long as you don’t over-mix.
Evenly dose out the batter between your prepared muffin tins. These bake up to be fairly large cupcakes, so don’t be afraid to mound that batter up in the center.
Bake for 26 – 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cupcake comes out dry. Let cool completely before frosting.
To make the frosting, first soften the vegan butter in the stand mixer by briefly beating it alone. Add in the sour cream, scrapped vanilla bean, and 2 cups of the confectioner’s sugar. Start the mixer on a low speed until the sugar is mostly incorporated, and then pause, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add in another cup of sugar.
Start slowly again, and then once everything is assimilated, turn up the mixer to high and whip the frosting for about 4 minutes. Pause, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and if it is too loose for your liking, add the remaining cup of sugar.
Get that final addition mixed in as well, and whip for another 4 – 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. The key to the texture is patience; You must allow a good amount of time for the mixer to work its magic.
Once it’s at the consistency you desire, frost away!

Recommended Products

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 709Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 171mgCarbohydrates: 136gFiber: 2gSugar: 120gProtein: 3g

All nutritional information presented within this site are intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information on BitterSweetBlog.com should only be used as a general guideline. This information is provided as a courtesy and there is no guarantee that the information will be completely accurate. Even though I try to provide accurate nutritional information to the best of my ability, these figures should still be considered estimations.

July 17, 2010November 23, 2025

Hannah (BitterSweet)38 Comments

Shaken, Not Stirred

Call it a mere craving, but such a word feels insufficient to describe the intense desire- No, urgent need– for a milkshake at times like these. Silly as it may sound, come midday when the mercury surges up past 100, not a single thing on this planet sounds more appealing. Forget cooking, “uncooking“, or even chopping; I just want to be fed, and I want something sweet and refreshing. A direct order coming straight from my id, there is no reasoning with this forceful thought, and absolutely no talking it down. This New England snow bunny here is positively melting in the summer sun.

That’s why I ultimately braved turning up the oven to 350 on such a sweltering day. Yes, there are many easier ways to make a simple milkshake that don’t involve the oven in the least bit, especially if you have some good ice cream on hand. But despite my raging subconscious impulses, it was still irresistible to take the more difficult route. And let me tell you, that small sacrifice was utterly worth it.

Cookies and creme, arguably one of my favorite ice cream flavors, was the only thing that would really fit the bill. You see, I was always that weird kid who loved making creamy powdered drink mixes because they never fully blended in and left lumps floating on top- Using a spoon, I ate my powdery shakes like a bowl of dessert cereal. Those bits and pieces add so much more than just sweetness and flavor to an otherwise smooth treat like this. It’s that texture that makes this creamy offering so irresistible, so crave-worthy, and so memorable. Finding cookies and creme shakes as a teen was a godsend, filling that need for a milkshake with a bit of crunch and chew without looking like a completely freak.

My version uses a homemade sheet of cookies, broken up into tiny pieces to fulfill that cookie-riddled effect. Best of all, no ice cream is needed for the shake, and thanks to the addition of chia seeds, it’s far and away healthier than the original inspiration. Just try to plan ahead and bake the cookies when it’s cooler- You’ll thank yourself when the craving strikes!

Yield: 1 Milkshake

Cookies ‘n Creme Milkshakes

Homemade cookie bits and a healthy chia blend make this milkshake a sweet, guilty-free pleasure.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Additional Time 30 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Ingredients

Chocolate Cookie Bits:

1/2 Cup Teff Flour
1/4 Cup Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder
1/4 Cup Roasted Carob Powder
2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar
Pinch Salt
Pinch Ground Cinnamon
2 1/2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Water

For Each Milkshake:

1 Cup Almond Milk
1 Tablespoon Light Agave Nectar
2 Tablespoons Chia Seeds
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
9 – 10 Ice Cubes
1/4 Recipe Chocolate Cookie Bits (See Above)

Instructions

For the cookie bits, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.
In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the teff flour, cocoa and carob powder, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Add in the oil and water, and stir to combine. Once the liquids have been fully incorporated, you should have a fairly stiff, thick cookie dough. Transfer that dough to your prepared sheet, and use lightly moistened hands to press it out as thinly as possible. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes, until the top is dry and slightly crackled. Let cool completely before building your milkshake.
This makes enough for 4 milkshakes.
Take your almond milk, agave, chia seeds, and vanilla, and add them all into your blender. It helps to have a high-powered blender to make this, especially to grind down the ice cubes into a smooth texture, but you can probably get away without it. Turn the blender on low, just to combine everything, and let the mixture sit for about 15 – 30 minutes to allow the chia seeds to hydrate and form a gel.
Once thickened, turn the blender on high, and thoroughly puree until entirely smooth, about 2 minutes for a Vitamix. Add in your ice cubes, and start on low, moving up to high once they’re mostly broken up, until creamy and the mixture looks like slightly melted ice cream. Break up 1/4 of the prepared cookie sheet, and blend just until it’s in small enough pieces to fit in a straw without blocking it. Serve immediately.

Notes

The shake portion can be multiplied to accommodate up to 4 if your blender has a large enough capacity.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 200Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 52mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 2gSugar: 14gProtein: 2g

July 6, 2010November 23, 2025

Hannah (BitterSweet)45 Comments

Green Grilling

The 4th of July is a holiday of many hats, and stands for a wide range of things to many people: Independence, the birth of a nation, family togetherness, parades, fireworks, and of course, grilling. It just wouldn’t be a celebration without someone whipping out one of those half-round furnaces and incinerating big hunks of meat. Now that sounds like a party, no? …Um, no. I’ve never gotten into the great annual tradition of setting the backyard on fire, and you’d better believe there’s been no meat on my menu for quite a few years now. Typically, I’m the one who provides a side dish for this sort of affair, like samosa potato salad, pesto quinoa salad, or bean dip, but am them relegated to some lame, bland soy pucks that someone scrapped out of the back of their freezer. Well, in the spirit of Independence Day, I’m here to say “no more!” and this time, I’m making my own veggie patties.

More interesting than your average mish-mash of random vegetables and textured soy protein, I went the route of taking the flavors of a crave-worthy salad dressing, green goddess, and translated them into burger form.

If you can operate a food processor, you can make these babies, so there’s no excuse for going the store-bought route yet again this year. Wonderfully flexible and customizable as well, feel free to swap out any herbs you’d like or have on hand, or try using another leafy green vegetable for the spinach; I’m thinking that kale might make an especially tasty substitute.

Though I do bake my burgers in the oven, you can make them in advance as written, keep them in the fridge, and then toss them on a well-oiled grill when you’d like to serve them up. You can even take them on the road with the right camping grill at your disposal. Just be gentle when flipping the patties, as they’re a bit more fragile than most mass-produced options.

Yield: Makes 6 – 8 Burgers

Green Goddess Burgers

More interesting than your average mish-mash of random vegetables and textured soy protein, this approach takes the flavors of green goddess dressing and translates them into burger form. Quick, easy, and deeply satisfying, they're perfect to whip up on the fly.

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Rolled Oats
2 Cloves Garlic
2 Scallions
1 (14-Ounce) Package Firm Tofu, Drained and Patted Dry
7 Ounces Fresh Baby Spinach
1/4 Cup Fresh Tarragon
1/2 Cup Fresh Chives
1/2 Cup Fresh Parsley
1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
Pinch Cayenne Pepper
1/4 Teaspoon Salt

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
In your blender or food processor, combine the oats, garlic and scallions, and pulse to combine. Once finely minced and no large chunks of raw garlic remain, crumble in the tofu, and follow with the spinach and fresh herbs.
Blend briefly to break down all of the greens (it may seem like a lot when you put them in the machine, but they’ll puree down pretty fast.)
Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add in the mustard, lemon juice, cumin, cayenne, and salt, and processor one final time. When the mixture is thoroughly combined but still just a little bit chunky, it’s ready to go.
Scoop out 1/3 – 1/2 cup of the mixture onto your prepared sheet for each burger. It will be very wet, so you can’t really “shape” them, but use a spatula to spread the blobs out into as even circles as possible.
Bake for 30 – 40 minutes, until darkened in color and they no longer appear wet. They should remain plenty moist on the inside. Let cool for at least 10 minutes on the sheet before serving as desired.

The Heat is On

Despite the great number of quirks and traits that I share with my family members, there are still times when I can’t help but wonder if I might have been adopted. Some differences are glaring, but others are more subtle, such as the great range of temperaments we each have- And I’m not just talking about moodiness here. Almost always the first to run for the AC, it would seem as though my internal temperature runs a good 10 or 20 degrees hotter than most, making for some unusual sources of conflict. Just the other night, I woke up sweating through my sheets, and popped out of bed to turn on the air conditioning. Well, as you can imagine, that did the trick and I fell right back to sleep… Leaving the fan churning the air, until my mother was in turn awakened, claiming to be nearly frozen to death. There’s just no winning in this family!

Regardless, there are always compromises that can be made, and dessert is no different. Though I would be perfectly happy to eat nothing but ice cream for the next 3 or 4 months, I accept the fact that I can’t avoid the oven forever. The trick is to minimize its utility, baking off little treats quickly before the whole kitchen turns into a sticky, sugary sauna.

Cookies fit the bill quite nicely, but what fun is that? No, a mere biscuit isn’t enough to bring to a big dinner party, or say, 4th of July potluck, now is it?

However, try layering gently spiced, soft cookies with a bright and tangy lemon custard, chill the whole concoction into a a cool, refreshing cake-like assemblage, and now we’re talking! File this one under “looks ultra-impressive but is a breeze to make.” If you can bake cookies, you can throw this one together, and yes, keep it on hand in the freezer until it’s needed. Can you tell I’m into that sort of thing these days?

Yield: Makes 8 - 12 Servings

Lemon Gingersnap Icebox Cake

Layer gently spiced ginger cookies with a bright and tangy lemon custard, chill the whole concoction into a a cool, refreshing cake-like tower, and you'll have this showstopping summer dessert.

Ingredients

Gingersnaps:

3/4 Cup Vegan Butter
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
1/4 Cup Molasses
1 Tablespoon Whole Flaxseeds, Ground
2 1/4 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
2 1/2 Teaspoons Ground Ginger
1 1/2 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cardamom
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Allspice
Pinch Freshly Ground Black Pepper
2 Tablespoons Plain Non-Dairy Milk

Lemon Custard:

1 (13.5-Ounce) Can Full-Fat Coconut Milk, Chilled
Zest of 2 Lemons
1 (12-Ounce) Package Extra-Firm Silken Tofu
1/2 Cup Confectioner's Sugar
1/3 Cup Instant Clear Gel
Pinch Salt

Instructions

To make the gingersnaps, preheat your oven to 375 degrees and line 4 baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
With your stand mixer, cream together the vegan butter and sugar thoroughly. Add in the molasses and flax seed, and mix well until completely homogeneous.
In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices together, to evenly distribute all of the dry ingredients throughout the mixture. Slowly incorporate the dry mixture into your stand mixer, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. The resulting dough will still look a bit dry, so go ahead and add in the milk.
Once a smooth dough has been achieved, scoop out about 2 – 3 teaspoons per cookie, roll them into balls, and flatten them slightly onto your prepared sheets. If they begin to stick to your hands, simply wash your hands and leave them slightly damp when you go back to work.
Bake for 8 – 10 minutes, until slightly cracked on top and lightly browned around the edges. The longer you bake them, the snappier they’ll be! Cool the cookies on the sheets, and make sure they are completely cool before using.
To make the custard, begin by removing the coconut milk from the fridge and DO NOT shake it. Skim off the top layer of thick, white cream, and place it in your stand mixer with the whisk attachment installed. Start on low speed for a minute, and then increase to high, beating the coconut cream for about 5 minutes, until light and fluffy light whipped cream.
Place the tofu in your blender and thorougly pure, until completely smooth. Add the puree into the whipped coconut cream along with the lemon zest and gently fold them together, until incorporated.
Mix the confectioner’s sugar, instant clear gel, and salt together in a small dish before slowly adding the mixture in, making sure that the motor continues running the whole time. Stop periodically to scrape down the sides of the bowl. It’s very important to continue agitating the mixture while introducing the instant clear gel, as it will create clumps if it isn’t dispersed throughout the liquid quickly.
The custard will begin to thicken after another 3 – 4 minutes of whipping, and will continue to thicken once chilled.
Now you’re ready to assemble the dessert. On a large plate, start by placing 6 cookies in a tight circle, plus one more in the very center. Place a generous dollop of the custard on top, reaching out almost to the edge of the circle but leaving a good amount of the outermost cookies visible. Place another circle of cookies on top in a similar manner, followed by more custard. Repeat this process into you run out of both; You should end up with around 6 cookie layers and 5 custard layers.
Chill thoroughly overnight before serving; it gets better when the cookies have time to soften and become part of the custard itself!

Notes

You can make this recipe quicker and easier by starting with readymade vegan gingersnaps. I promise no one will be disappointed!

Skinny Dipping

Whereas most people treat bean dip as a condiment, in my eyes, it’s more often a main course. Perhaps it’s a habit that grew out of being relegated to only platters of raw veggies at many early family gatherings, when not a single prepared dish could be considered vegan even by the greatest stretch of the imagination. But maybe, just maybe, it’s because hummus is so damn good. Addictive, even. Once the plastic lid comes off that container, it’s hard to snap it back on until I’ve excavated the majority of its contents. Hummus has always been my dip of choice, given its prevalence all around the world and how tasty chickpeas are the begin with. Possessing a seemingly endless appetite for that little legume, it’s not unusual for me to clear out the entire grocery store shelf at times of sales, and there’s always one or two flavors on hand in the fridge.

Even the most fanatic hummus devote needs a break every now and then, though. For fear of turning into a chickpea myself, I do force myself to look else where for dipping enlightenment from time to time. Thus, my second favorite bean, the adzuki, enters the picture. Wonderfully creamy and generally agreeable in flavor, it opens the door to all sorts of new flavorful experiments.

Sticking with seasonings appropriate for this Japanese-grown bean, ginger, garlic, and shiitake mushrooms join this unique blend, and the results are just a bit tangy, spicy, and of course umami. Lighter than your average bean dip thanks to the undetectable addition of zucchini, it’s the perfect summer spread, guaranteed not to weigh you down with tons of extra oil.

Hummus may be the top pick of all bean dips, but this version comes in at a close second, with a habit-forming flavor all its own. If there was ever a reason for me to forgo that classic chickpea spread, it could only be in favor of the adzuki dip instead!

Yield: About 3 cups; 6 - 12 Servings

Asian Adzuki Bean Dip

Sticking with seasonings appropriate for this Japanese-grown bean, ginger, garlic, and shiitake mushrooms join this unique blend, and the results are just a bit tangy, spicy, and of course umami.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

2 Cups Cooked Adzuki Beans*
1 Small Zucchini, Roughly Chopped
2 Fresh Shittake Mushroom Caps
2 Tablespoons Tahini
1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 – 1 Inch Fresh Ginger, Peeled and Roughly Chopped
1 Small Clove Garlic
2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
2 – 3 Scallions
1/4 Cup Fresh Parsley
1/4 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
Salt, to Taste

Instructions

Simply toss all of the above into your food processor or blender, and puree until smooth, pausing and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Adjust seasonings to suit your tastes, and enjoy. It tastes even better if you can let it sit in the refrigerator overnight for the flavors to meld, but you might find it difficult to leave alone for so long!

Notes

*I cook my beans either with a few bay leaves or a strip of kombu to reduce their -ahem- digestive difficulties.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 80Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 55mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 3gSugar: 0gProtein: 4g

June 25, 2010November 23, 2025

Hannah (BitterSweet)33 Comments

Weekend Wallpaper

Hardly a wisp of a cloud in the sky, on the eve of the longest day of the year, you can bet good money on what I’ll be doing with those extra minutes and seconds of sunlight; Photography. Using soft, natural light, everything seems magically more beautiful through the lens, and I have yet to find artificial means that even come close to that ethereal glow. So I may be short on words today, but I have a growing bevy of images to make up for it.

Thinking towards the official arrival of summer, what could be more appropriate than a new desktop wallpaper, featuring one of my favorite seasonal treats? Like usual, just click the image to view it full size. Right click, select “Set as Desktop Background,” and choose the “Stretch” option to fit to your screen.

Happy Summer Solstice! What seasonal produce are you most looking forward to?

June 20, 2010June 20, 2010

Hannah (BitterSweet)25 Comments